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Walford Wiki:Manual of Style
The Manual of Style is designed to act as a rough guide on how to write articles for Walford Wiki. If you are new to the Wiki editing in general, it may be worth looking first. Rules of engagement As with Wikipedia and the other UK soap opera Wikis, it is felt here at Walford Wiki that the site will be most efficient when it is consistent and uniform. Whilst Wikipedia have their own Manual of Style, it is important to acknowledge that Walford Wiki’s Manual of Style does differ from that of Wikipedia, and that the Manual of Style for this Wiki should be wholly adhered to. Every article created on this Wiki must conform to the rules set below and other precedents on this site. Any articles which fail to meet the rules will be deleted without prior notice. It is also important to note that every edit made to this site must have an edit summary, regardless of the significance of that edit. There are two exceptions to this rule: the addition of a category to a page and the editing of a talk page. Editors who fail to adhere to this rule will, after three reminders, be blocked from editing. At the very least, where an edit adds or amends information, a source should be mentioned e.g. “21st birthday given in Episode 300”. It is also important to note that Wikipedia itself is not considered a reliable source, and any information copied directly from the website will be deleted without notice, with a warning also placed on the user’s talk page to ensure such editing actions do not occur again. New articles When creating a new article, the following information should be utilised accordingly. Episode pages Titling *Whilst the first twenty episodes of EastEnders were given individual episode titles, due to these not being displayed on-screen, and almost every episode since not being titled, episode pages should be titled according to the episode number and the date they were first broadcast in the United Kingdom. Where an episode has received an individual title, this should be mentioned in the Notes section of the article. It is important that both the episode number and the date is used when naming episode articles, as occasionally episodes have been broadcast on the same day at different times. *Spin-off productions should be named according to their individual titles. Where a spin-off show has more than one series, but does not contain episodic titles (such as E20), the following convention should be used: **{SPIN-OFF TITLE}: Series # - Episode # Cast listings *Cast listings on episode pages should follow the order used in the transmitted episode. On occasions where no cast are credited (such as End of Year credits), cast should be listed alphabetically by their character’s forename (see Episode 303’s cast list as an example). *Uncredited cast members should be listed at the very end of any cast listing and not inserted within the main body of the list. *Non-speaking extra characters, either walk-ons or actors, should not be listed in the credits section. Where identifiable, they should be mentioned in the Notes section. *Notes referencing first and last appearances should only reflect regular cast members who have a separate “List of appearances” page already created. Exceptions are child actors whose characters were regulars but did not appear in enough episodes to warrant a list of appearances page (an example is Cassie Carpenter). Any gaps in appearances should reflect regular cast members only and be referenced when they are three-months or more in duration. An exception to this rule is in the unusual event of an actor’s absence either affecting production (such as an actor suffering an illness) or an actor taking time out to perform in another production (such as a stage production). Locations *All episode pages should have a list of locations which were visible in each episode. The list should start with the principle location and work its way through that location as though one was walking from the start of that location to the end of that location (i.e. Albert Square should be listed first with The Vic; Car Lot and houses listed afterwards): **Locations in Albert Square (The Queen Vic; Car Lot; houses) **Bridge Street (To be used when the market is not visible on the street) **Bridge Street Market (To be used when the market is in motion) **Businesses on Bridge Street (Minute Mart; Launderette and Café) **Turpin Road (E20 and all relevant surrounding businesses) **Turpin Way (Playground; Mitchell’s Autos; Community Centre) **George Street (Train station and all relevant surrounding businesses) **Victoria Road (55 Victoria Road and all relevant surrounding businesses) **Victoria Square (Police Station and all relevant surrounding buildings such as Kenwyn House) **Walford Allotments **Walford Towers **Any additional/unknown locations outside of Walford Character pages Because the Wiki is still so new, admins have agreed to hold off on creating too many character pages in one go, as it creates a huge backlog of tasks to be completed and verified. Therefore, the admins have agreed that character pages are, for now, being created in chronological order, based on a character’s final appearance. At present, it should only be the admins who create new character pages; this is because it prevents an additional backlog of unnecessary tasks. *If a characters’ forename and surname is known, this should be used as the title of their article. No middle names are to be included in the article title. An exception to this rule is when the character is more commonly known by their nickname, in which case their nickname and surname should be used. For example, George Holloway was most commonly known as “Lofty”, so his article’s title is Lofty Holloway instead. *Where a character weds and their surname changes in the on-screen credits, their most recent surname takes precedence. Redirect pages should be made accordingly to reflect the characters’ previous surname(s). *Both the character’s forename and surname must be capitalised. *If a character is only given one name, such as a first name, the article title should also be given a qualifier, allowing it to differentiate from articles on people with the same name. An example of this is Ingrid (Episode 91/92) and Ingrid (Episode 357/358). If the character’s name is unknown, and they only credited on-screen by their occupation, a similar convention should be observed. For example, Policeman (John Blundell). The name as it appears on episode pages should, through pipelinks, reflect what was shown on the end credits. *Titles, such as Mr, Mrs, Ms or Do, are only to be used when a forename or surname, or neither, are known. *Unseen characters may only have pages made for them when they have been acknowledged on-screen and a name exists for them. On-screen characters which have no known name should have their pages titled as per the end-credits of the broadcasted episode, unless a name is given in dialogue in the episode. Character names given on actor’s CV’s are not to be used under any circumstances. *Any additional/amended material to character pages must be sourced in the edit summary. If any information is found to be guessed, estimated or gathered from an unauthorised source, it will be removed without notice. It should also be noted that Wikipedia is deemed an unreliable source as edits can be made to pages without monitoring so may be inaccurate *Guest character pages must be limited to one photo of the character. In the exceptional circumstances where a guest character is recast, the most recent appearance of the character should be used. Generally, guest character pages should not contain a table of contents of sections in their article. Deviations to this are to be agreed upfront and should only be for guest characters who have appeared in more than one storyline. *Character pages should only be created if there is something notable to say about them. A named relative with no link to another character other than being a relative is not a reason to create a page, and should one be made, it will be deleted without warning. Other *Article names should be in singular form. *For articles with more than one word, only the first word and proper nouns are to be capitalised. Perspective There are two ways to write pages on Walford Wiki: in-universe and out-of-universe. Editors who are unsure of which perspective to use for an article after reading this section should contact one of the site’s admins to seek clarification rather than guessing. In-universe Articles created in-universe are written as though they are real, despite them obviously not being real. An example of writing from an in-universe perspective is on character pages. If character pages were to be written from an out-of-universe perspective, we would say something like: Dot Branning is a fictional long-running EastEnders character. However, writing this in-universe, we would write something along the lines of: Dot Branning is a longstanding resident of Walford. Articles to be written in-universe include character pages, any locations and businesses seen within the show and plot sections. Out-of-universe Articles created out-of-universe are written from a real-world perspective and acknowledge the fictionality of the show. Any articles which are written from an out-of-universe perspective must use the Real World template. Articles to be written out-of-universe include production staff, articles on EastEnders itself and any articles relating to the broadcasting/making of the show. Retconning When something in EastEnders is retconned, it means that the latest piece of information which has been identified on the show contradicts the same piece of information which has been previously identified. The contradiction in information is typically used to facilitate a dramatic plot shift. An example of a retcon in EastEnders was the revelation of Kathy Beale being dead in 2006, and then returning alive and well in 2015. Unless references such as these have been explicitly made in the show’s narrative, they should not be added to the site. Page layout Most articles on Walford Wiki follow the same basic layout of: #Content #Behind the Scenes #See also #External links #References All articles must belong to at least once category and all articles must contain relevant content. Where articles include behind the scenes, see also and external link sections, they must be in the order as listed above. Content and behind the scenes sections should only be used in articles written from an in-universe perspective, as they are technically the same thing for out-of-universe articles. Content sections will not use a content heading, they should rather be headed according to what the content involves. An example is the content on character pages being headed Biography. Grammar and spelling Walford Wiki editors are to write articles in English English, as EastEnders is made and first broadcast in the United Kingdom. Dates Dates should be written with ordinal indicators (-nd, -rd, -st and -th), e.g. 1st January. Date pages which detail real-life events should only list those involving regular cast members, production staff and major production events in the programme’s history. These sections should be split into EastEnders history and Real World Events. Where an editor feels an exception should be made, this must be discussed on the talk page first. Admins decisions on the exception is final and binding. Tense In-universe articles should be written in past tense as all events which occur in EastEnders episodes are history once the episode has been first broadcast. The exception to this rule is where something still rings true after the most recent episode has aired e.g. Ian Beale lives at 45 Albert Square and Mick Carter is the landlord of The Queen Victoria. Out-of-universe articles should also follow this rule. Sections which are written in present tense include events described in calendar date pages and episode synopses. Episode articles contain a mixture of tenses when necessary. Plots are written in the present tense, and so are notes relating to the content, while notes relating to the production of the episode are in past tense. Other *Links to episodes within pages are not to be italicised or placed inside inverted commas (‘’). *Articles which exist on Wikipedia will not necessarily exist on Walford Wiki. This is because articles are only created on this Wiki if the topic is relevant to EastEnders itself. *Location names should only ever be linked to, and have pages created for, locations which are specifically referenced to in episode synopses or character pages. No locations names should be linked solely from an actor of production staff member’s page. Headings Headings are only to be used in longer articles where a breakdown and categorising of information is necessary, such as Biography sections on character pages. Main headings should be bracketed by two equal signs ( ) both sides of the heading, while sub-headings should be bracketed by three equal signs ( ) both sides of the heading. The naming convention used in article pages with more than one word (only capitalising the first word and proper nouns) must also be observed in headings. Editors must also avoid using sub-headings where there is little to talk about in that section, as it can make the article look messy. Wiki maintenance Where editors make their own articles, they are expected to write the article themselves upon first creation, and not rely on others to finish what they have started. As the site is still so new and developing, any unfinished articles which are not completed in the following two weeks will be deleted without warning. Editors are not expected to make the same page again and leave it unfinished. Should this occur more than twice, a block will be imposed. Episode pages are also only to be created by the admins on this site, as this has been agreed among the admins themselves. Categories Categories created must be appropriate and relate to the page. Where an admin feels that a newly created category is inappropriate or could be worded better, they withhold the right to change that category’s name without prior consultation to the editor who created that category. Photographs and galleries It is desirable that all pages, where possible, have an image added to them. All images must be relevant to the article and placed appropriately within the article. For character articles, the main image of the character must be a solo shot and must also be a screenshot of the character from an episode. Current character images must be from their most visual appearance. For images of former characters, their most common visual appearance should be used, unless otherwise decided by the admins. All other images uploaded to Walford Wiki may be either publicity shots or screenshots, except for the List of Appearances pages, which must be solo screenshots of characters. It should be noted however, that images should only be added to List of Appearances pages by the admin Sam4293. Galleries on character pages are prohibited and admins will remove any gallery sections they find on those articles. In general, galleries should only be added to very few pages on the Wiki other than List of Appearances pages, and the pages on which they may or may not appear on are of the final decision of the admins. Videos No videos are to be uploaded or used on Walford Wiki under any circumstances. Admins will remove any videos added to the Wiki, irrespective of their source. Trivia sections Trivia sections are not to be used on articles on this Wiki. Any trivia sections found will immediately be deleted. Such information should be contained to the content section or behind the scenes/background information/notes section of the relevant article. Deletion and blocking Whilst Walford Wiki welcomes new editors onto the site, the admins expect a high standard of editing from all editors. Editors who are found to copy and paste information from other sources or create articles with poor standards of writing will have their work deleted immediately without warning. The admins of the Wiki also expect all editors to have a high standard of written English. Any contributions made to Walford Wiki containing five or more English errors will result in the deletion of the edit/page and the user being blocked. Administrators The administrators of this site reserve the right to amend these rules or deviate from these rules at any time and without consultation. Category:Organisations